Quantcast
Channel: NBC 7 San Diego - Top Stories
Viewing all 60603 articles
Browse latest View live

Defendants in Carlsbad Murder for Hire Case Will Stand Trial

$
0
0

A judge decided Monday there is enough evidence to send two defendents in a muder for hire case to trial.

Diana Lovejoy is accused of hiring her firearms instructor Weldon McDavid Jr. to shoot her estranged husband Gregory Mulvihill.

Diana Clark, aunt of Lovejoy, said Lovejoy asked her about a year before the shooting, if she knew anyone who could scare or kill her husband.

“Auntie, do you know anyone who could do that?” Clark testified.

Clark said she was shocked to hear this, and then told Lovejoy that “moral and ethical issues aside, it was a remarkably dumb idea and she would never be able to get away with it.”

Clark also testified that Lovejoy was scared of her estranged husband. She said Lovejoy told her Mulvihill had a mercurial temper, and may have been sexually molesting their son.

On Monday, Carlsbad Police Detective Scott Stallman also testified. He had interviewed Lovejoy and McDavid after they were arrested.

Stallman said when he first asked McDavid if he shot Mulvihill, McDavid denied it. But when Stallman said there was DNA that linked him to the crime scene, McDavid changed his story.

According to testimony, McDavid defecated near the shooting scene, used a towel to wipe himself, and then left the towel on the ground.

The bizarre shooting in Carlsbad involved a contentious custody fight and a mysterious phone call from a man with a deep voice promising documents the victim “would want to see,” according to testimony.

In the preliminary hearing, Mulvihill described the night he was shot in the chest along an isolated access road off Avenida Soledad in Carlsbad.

“He said they were documents I would want to see,” Mulvihihll testified. “He wouldn’t explain further.”

His ex-wife, Lovejoy, faces charges in the shooting along with McDavid.

Carlsbad police said McDavid, an employee at a shooting range in Oceanside, had been teaching Lovejoy how to shoot.

Lovejoy and Mulvihill separated in 2014. A few months before the shooting, Mulvihill was awarded joint custody of the couple’s son. Prior to that, he had 10 hours of visitation per week.

If convicted, McDavid could 50 years to life in prison while Lovejoy faces 25 years to life.

According to the prosecutor in the case, Lovejoy is facing the lesser term because she did not pull the trigger, but was ‘vicariously armed with a firearm’ and was aware and participated in the shooting.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Tijuana River Sewage Spill Damage at 200M Gallons: Peters

$
0
0

U.S. Rep. Scott Peters (D - 52nd District) got a first-hand look at the extensive damage from the Tijuana River sewage spill, which has contaminated water in the San Diego area.

Last month, millions of gallons of raw sewage spilled in Tijuana and leaked into the Imperial Beach region, making the river and parts of the coast unsafe. 

On Monday, Congressman Peters told reporters the EPA's estimate of raw sewage had risen from 143 million gallons to more than 200 million gallons in a new estimate. 

"It's a pretty staggering number," he said, pointing behind him to a piece of land in Imperial Beach that has been "functioning like a sewer for the last little while."

As he toured the region, he reaffirmed the need for a full investigation into the crisis. 

"We got a nice response, I'm satisfied with this response that they are going to conduct this investigation and we're going to give them time to do it," Peters said. "We expect honest answers and will let you know what we want in terms of follow up."

The International Boundaries Water Commission has agreed to carry out a bi-national investigation into the more than 143 million gallons of raw sewage spilled in Tijuana. 

Peters said it was important to remember that things that happened across the border affected the San Diego region, and urged officials to find a bi-national solution. 

"I think there's a lot of questions about exactly what happened, how long it went on how bad it is, I'm hoping the investigation that’s going to take place will give us those answers," Peters said. "More importantly, there's nothing we can do now about this water flowing into the ocean, but we got to make sure this stuff doesn’t happen again."

The spill has been described as the worst sewage spill in more than a decade by Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina.

Dedina says the city filed an official complaint on Feb. 15. He wants the U.S. government to investigate what caused the spill and why his city's residents weren't notified of the contamination.

The commission said the leak was likely caused by sewer construction gone wrong. The State Public Services Commission of Tijuana repaired a sewer line last month and, during the repairs, diverted sewage into the Tijuana River.

Roberto Espinoza, an engineer and representative for Mexico's arm of the International Boundaries Water Commission, said at a previous meeting that a pipe in the main line near the Tijuana and Alamar Rivers' intersection failed under pressure from recent storms. He added that the leak was not intentional and happened during an emergency repair.

A preliminary U.S. investigation determined the spill released upwards of 143 million gallons of raw sewage, but Mexico disputes that.

The investigation on the spill and a report must be submitted within 30 days, per an agreement between U.S. Commissioner Edward Drusina and Mexican Commissioner Roberto Salmon. The commission’s binational Water Quality Work Group will handle the investigation.

While in the area, Peters also met with city officials from Coronado, Imperial Beach, and local clean water advocates.



Photo Credit: AP

SWAT Standoff Underway in Fallbrook Apartment Complex: SDSO

$
0
0

A man, believed to be armed with a weapon, barricaded himself inside an apartment in Fallbrook Monday leading to a SWAT standoff, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO) confirmed.

Residents at the apartment complex on the 900 block of Alturas Road near W Fallbrook Street were evacuated.

According to SDSO, detectives had been seeking a felony suspect with a warrant just after 3 p.m. When they made contact, the suspect barricaded himself in an apartment.

The Sheriff's Helicopter ASTREA, Fugitive Task Force (FTF) and SWAT were involved in the standoff.

Anyone who lives in the neighborhoood was warned to stay inside their residences. Motorists were also asked to avoid the area, if possible.

No other information was available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Former IB Mayor's Idea Regarding Tijuana River Sewage Spill

$
0
0

For Imperial Beach native Brian Bilbray, last month’s more than 143 million gallon sewage spill is nothing new.

“My granddaughter is a third generation sewage kid,” Bilbray said.

In 1980, Bilbray was the town’s mayor and was fighting a pollution battle of his own in the same region as last month's massive spill: the Tijuana River.

“We went down with skiploaders and announced to them that we're going to dam up the Tijuana River and back the sewage up,” Bilbray said. “Create an incident by saying we're not going to allow the sewage on our beaches.”

He said the stunt got the attention of government agencies that initially said the problem was not theirs. He credits the awareness raised through the media for that.

Last month, millions of gallons of raw sewage spilled in Tijuana and leaked into the Imperial Beach region, making the river and parts of the coast unsafe.

He said those handling the sewage spill now can draw a lesson from the same spirit of yesteryear. 

“None of these agencies want to address the issue because it's coming across the border and they don't want to look like a bad guy,” he said.

His proposal? Force another “incident.”

“I'd propose that for every day IB is closed with pollution signs, the port of entry should be closed. Let's see how quick people react to that," he said. 

Since the news of the recent spill, the International Boundaries Water Commission has agreed to carry out a bi-national investigation into the more than 143 million gallons of raw sewage spilled in Tijuana.



Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego

Former Federal Prosecutors, Who Arranged Wiretaps, Speak Out

$
0
0

Former Federal prosecutors, who arranged drug cartel wiretaps across the border, speak out on President Trump's comments on alleged wiretapping, saying it won't be long for the Justice Department to find the truth. NBC 7's Gene Cubbison reports. 

Local Baker Places Second on Food Network's Cake Wars Champs

$
0
0

A local baker and previous winner of Food Network's Cake Wars placed second on an all-star episode of Cake Wars Champs with a dynamic, elaborate Lego Hero Town cake.

Escondido baker Linda Caro, owner of Little Hunnys Cakery, and her assistant, Alicia Becerra, owner of Alicia's Delicias, competed on the Monday, March 6 episode of the show. 

Caro previously appeared on Cake Wars last fall with her assistant, Alicia Becerra. Together, the pair won the grand prize with a Powerpuff Girls-themed cake. 

In the first round, dubbed "Batter Up", the contestants got 75 minutes to make a cake which includes one of the challenge flavors picked by the judges. 

"The first round is the fastest you've ever made a cake in your life," Caro said. "It's only two people. The baker and their assistant. We were basically rushing the whole time, down to the last second."

Caro and Becerra baked a pear and beer cake with bleu cheese Italian meringue buttercream, topped with candied walnuts and dried cranberries. 

In the judging round, one team was eliminated -- but Caro and her assistant made it to the second round. 

In the second round, contestants were asked to make a tasting cake for the judges. The cake had to be at least three feet tall, and had to tell a story. 

"There are so many things the judges are looking for: great tasting cake, properly baked, and great tasting fillings," Caro said. "For the design, they are looking for clean fondant work, a cake that tells a story and good execution."

For the elaborate challenge, the bakers made an elaborate lego world cake. 

The bottom tier had a police station on one side with an officer chasing after a suspect, a police chief eating a donut, a lego police dog and more. 

The next tier up, a park scene unfolded, with construction workers holding lego bricks to build a park. 

On top of that, their cake had a hospital, with a nurse with a man on a stretcher as a doctor ran to help. 

The cake was topped with a billboard, complete with real working lights. 

"On the very top is the Lego billboard with real working lights that says Hero Town which is what our cake is about - featuring every day heroes," Caro said.

In the judging process, another team was sent home. 

It was now down to two teams: Kristina, from Baked, up in Seattle, and Caro. 

In the end, Kristina ended up winning. 

"They announced that Kristina won and I was so happy for her," Caro said. "She's an amazing baker and a really nice person. I was proud to come in second place next to her."

She said the teams went out after to celebrate. 

"I'm still proud and I loved the girls I competed with," she said.

To learn more about Little Hunnys Cakery, click here. 



Photo Credit: Linda Caro/Little Hunnys Cakery
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Veteran Says Nude Picture Scandal Not First for Marine Corps

$
0
0

A combat Marine veteran has come forward following the Marine Corps scandal over nude pictures of women, service members, and veterans being posted to a private Facebook page by fellow Marines.

She said the actions are nothing new and that provocative photographs of her were posted without her knowledge on a similar Facebook page a few years ago.

“It's degrading,” she said. “People aren't going to look at me as a professional.”

The Marine Corps and NCIS are investigating 100 Marines for the postings on the private Facebook page Marines United. The postings were exposed by a Marine Veteran who runs the non-profit military news website The War Horse.

The pictures began to surface after two women Marines qualified for the Infantry unit at Camp Lejeune in early January.

While Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Robert Neller said he could not comment on an on-going investigation,  he did say in a statement, “I expect every Marine to demonstrate the highest integrity and loyalty to fellow Marines at all times, on duty, off-duty, and online. I expect Marines to give their all to be the best human beings, teammates, and Marines possible."

But the Marine veteran NBC 7 spoke with said she doubts the incident will be investigated thoroughly.

“This has been going on for years," she said. “They haven't done anything with it before, so I don't see them doing anything with it now.”

But combat Marine veteran, Nathan Fletcher told NBC 7 that it is time the culture in the Marine Corps. established by an older generation, has to change.

“We have to make sure that the standard to set that everyone adheres to and it's a standard that we are proud of marines say that's the Marine Corps I know an honor," Fletcher said.



Photo Credit: AP

1 Dead After Truck Hits Tree in Unincorporated El Cajon

$
0
0

A man was killed trying to stop a runaway pickup truck barreling towards homes at the bottom of a hill unincorporated El Cajon Monday evening, Heartland Fire officials confirmed to NBC 7 San Diego. 

Authorities first responded to the scene of the crash, located on the 13400 block of Aurora Drive, at approximately 8:03 p.m. Monday. 

According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the truck engine was not operating. The two men that were working on it put the truck in neutral and began pushing it out of a driveway at the top of the hill.

But the truck started rolling down the steep entrance to Los Coches Mobile Home Estates and in the direction of several homes on Aurora Road.

One of the men tried to jump in the truck to stop it but could not regain control of the truck.

It slammed into a three foot drainage ditch and the impact killed the driver.

NBC 7 spoike with Candice Hedrick, who talked to the truck owner after the accident.

“He said his friend was working on the car and it drug him down the hill. I said what, then he died. So it's crazy,” Hedrick said.

Responding officers were directing traffic around the accident on Aurora Road.

They had since cleared the scene and the traffic pattern was back to normal Monday night.

The victim was only identified to be a 40-year-old man.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Local Impact on Repealing Affordable Care Act

$
0
0

House Republicans on Monday released their long-awaited plan for unraveling former President Barack Obama's health care law--a package that would scale back the government's role in health care and likely leave more Americans uninsured.

In San Diego County, more than 385,000 people would be immediately impacted by repealing the Affordable Care Act.

House committees planned to begin voting on the 123 page legislation Wednesday, launching what could be the year's defining battle in Congress and capping a seven-year Republican effort to repeal the 2010 law.

The plan would repeal the statute's unpopular fines on people who do not have health insurance. It would replace income-based subsidies the law provides to help millions of Americans pay premiums with age-based tax credits that may be less generous to people with low incomes. Those payments would phase out for higher-earning people.

But the bill would continue Obama's expansion of Medicaid to additional low-earning Americans until 2020. After that, states adding Medicaid recipients would no longer receive the additional federal funds the statute has provided. 

More significantly, republicans would overhaul the federal-state Medicaid program, changing its open-ended federal financing to a limit based on enrollment and costs in each state.

Jan Spencley and San Diegans for Healthcare Coverage help thousands of the uninsured sign up for healthcare each year. 

"We provide direct assistance with enrolling in coverage, with retaining coverage, problems with coverage, access to care, but we also provide advocacy," Spenley said.  "We're serving working individuals. We have very few people who have no income."

Dismantling the Affordable Care Act comes at no surprise to many. 

President Trump, during much of his campaign vowed to repeal and replace Obamacare.

There will also be language in the bill preventing Planned Parenthood federal dollars to fund abortions.

"The reality is everybody would be impacted to one extent or another. Benefits would be impacted because the Affordable Care Act did in fact require that at least some benefits are provided," Spencley said.

The Energy and Commerce Commitee and the Ways and Means Committee will examine their parts of the bill on Wednesday, when changes could be made.

The bill must then go to the Budget Committee and the Rules Committee before heading to the full House.

[[415526863,C]]

Pregnant Giraffe in Better Mood, ‘Toe Taps’ After Vet Visit

$
0
0

The pregnant giraffe at an upstate New York zoo has been on edge for days, agitation brought on by her kicking calf and the cold weather that’s kept her cooped up inside.

Thankfully, April’s handlers said her “mood continued to improve” Monday and that she should be able to return outside as temperatures warm Tuesday.

April “was not impressed with our vet’s advances this afternoon,” the Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville wrote in its Facebook update Monday night. She ended the visit early with “toe tapping” and “fancy footwork” that ended with “a small front kick.”

The “lazy jazz hands,” as the post described April’s little dance, was a way for her to say the exam was done and claim her space. Despite her mood swings over the past week, April is still healthy and as hungry as ever, the zoo said, even “stealing” hay from her mate Oliver on Monday.

Tens of millions of fans across the globe are waiting for what may be the most-anticipated giraffe birth ever. This past weekend, the zoo said handlers witnessed an image in April’s bedding that suggested the wait may be nearing an end.

"What many are calling an omen of the impending birth; the face and neck of a young giraffe appeared in the bedding this afternoon," the zoo wrote Sunday night. "Pretty neat if you ask us!"

Watch the live stream below:

The keepers said there's been a "significant amount of belly movement and tail raising" lately from April and that she did get a bit spooked by the kicking calf over the weekend, but keepers reported Monday morning she was in better spirits.

"We completely understand her swings!" the zoo wrote in its daily Facebook update. "She is a big girl and getting bigger. Vet report is all positive and happy with progression."

The mom-to-be has grown significantly, visible in comparative photos from a week ago show. Wax caps are still present, though her back left teat appears to be shedding.

A photo posted to the zoo's Facebook page Saturday showed April's rotund belly curving out and downward, a sign that she's nearing the home stretch of her pregnancy, says owner Jordan Patch.

"She's progressing well in her pregnancy," he said. "She's not in any pain, things are good."

More than 50,000 people tuned in to watch the gentle giant Monday morning as she peered over the dividing fence to catch a glimpse of Oliver, who paced around his pen. The long-necked lovers were seen interacting over his pen for a few moments.

April has captivated tens of millions of people across the world who have been checking in on her via the live stream in anticipation of the birth of her fourth calf. Patch says the natural curiosity surrounding giraffes and their birthing process has been a huge factor in drawing crowds.

"I think the fact that she's a giraffe and she's a neat species that people are interested in, that's fostered a lot of the attention," he said. "The fact that you're gonna get to witness the miracle of birth from an animal that you really don't get to see give birth — that's neat."

He added that April's pregnancy is not just live entertainment, but a teachable moment and source for education.

April's pregnancy was catapulted into global headlines late last month after YouTube briefly yanked the zoo's live stream following complaints by animal activists that it violated the site's policies concerning "nudity and sexual content." Thousands upon thousands of commenters voiced their frustration on Facebook and YouTube, and the stream was restored within an hour or so. 

Giraffe pregnancies last for 15 months. Labor lasts anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Once April goes into active labor, zookeepers will go in to help her the rest of the way. The calf will be about 150 pounds and 6 feet tall at birth and up and walking in about an hour.

The zoo said it will hold an online competition to name the baby giraffe once it's born.



Photo Credit: Erica Davies
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Encinitas Massage Parlor Facing Sexual Assault Lawsuit

$
0
0

An Encinitas massage parlor is being sued after a customer said she was sexually assaulted by an employee.

According to the lawsuit, George Washington Lindsey III, a massage therapist for Massage Heights allegedly assaulted a customer, and forcibly gave her oral sex. When the customer resisted, he allegedly grabbed her throat in a "threatening manner." 

Lindsey was convicted of sexual battery by a jury in February.

The lawsuit alleges this is not the first time Lindsey has been accused of sexual assault. 

According to the victim's attorney, Massage Heights was aware of Lindsey's sexual misconduct at a Massage Envy location but ignored it.

“George Washington Lindsey III is now a convicted sex offender due to his assault on my client. Massage Heights failed to disclose Lindsey’s prior record of abuse, harassment and molestation to my client and law enforcement. Although they profess to conduct full background checks on their employees, Massage Heights did not even bother to call Mr. Lindsey’s previous employer, Massage Envy Encinitas even though one of their managers knew he had worked there and may have known he was fired for gross sexual misconduct. If they had done so, my client might never have been attacked,” said victim’s attorney Morgan Stewart.

NBC 7 reached out to Massage Heights regarding the lawsuit and was told their franchise has a zero-tolerance policy against sexual misconduct.

In a statement, Massage Heights said, in part:

We were appalled to hear of the allegations of sexual misconduct of one of our franchisee’s massage therapists in Encinitas. Massage Heights Franchising has a zero tolerance policy against inappropriate behavior, including sexual misconduct, and upon learning of the allegations the local franchisee immediately terminated the massage therapist’s employment and is fully cooperating with authorities in the investigation."

NBC 7 reached out to Massage Envy and have not yet heard back.

Protestors Marched At Lindbergh Field After New Travel Ban

$
0
0

San Diegans sounded off Monday night pounding the pavement at Lindbergh Field after President Donald Trump rolled out his revised restrictions on international travel and refugees.

Protestors held up signs walking in front of Terminal 2 chanting, “ No hate! No fear! Immigrants are welcome here.”

The crowd of about 150 people called the revised executive order as “repulsive and unconstitutional as the first.”

“I don’t think we should be making policy on fear,” said Heidi Lapp, who took part in the protest. “We should be making policy on reality and fact. "

There have been no deadly attacks carried out in the United States by immigrants from the six Muslim-majority countries targeted by the ban.

Just off a plane, Poway resident Keith Cressin marveled at the protestors but said he supports the ban.

“The problem is there's not good vetting in other countries. We need more time to vet more carefully. All this is being more careful of who's coming into the country," Cressin said. "It’s nothing to do with hate."

Protestors held up signs calling the travel ban "A bad plan."

Other signs read "Fight Ignorance Not Immigrants. "

NBC 7 spoke to Hami Ramani, an immigrant from Iran. It's one of the countries now banned when the executive order is scheduled to take effect on March 16, 2017.

Ramani came to the United States as a child, became a citizen and is now a doctor.

He said for him, the travel ban is personal and would have an impact on him and his family if they decided to see loved ones in Iraq.

“We're citizens. One would hope we wouldn’t have any problems. But I think what we see is fear sewn by this administration that makes citizens even weary," Ramani told NBC 7.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

White House Resumes Public Tours Tuesday After Break

$
0
0

First lady Melania Trump has announced that the White House Visitors Office will resume public tours Tuesday.

The White House, which traditionally halts tours during the transition of administrations, had been closed for tours for six weeks.

"I am excited to reopen the White House to the hundreds of thousands of visitors who come each year," the first lady said in a statement. "The White House is a remarkable and historic site and we are excited to share its beauty and history. I am committed to the restoration and preservation of our nation's most recognizable landmark."

To book free public tours, visitors must make requests through their members of Congress. (You can find your representative here or your senators here.)

The self-guided, free tours are available 7:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, and 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Tour hours can also be extended when possible based on the official White House schedule, according to the official website.

Tours may be requested up to three months in advance and must be submitted at least 21 days before your visit. Tours are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.



Photo Credit: Brooks Kraft/Getty Images

Video Shows Day Care Worker Shove Child Down Stairs: PD

$
0
0

Police have arrested a day care worker who they say was caught on camera shoving a young girl down stairs at the suburban Philadelphia facility last week.

Sarah Gable, 52, of Folcroft, Pennsylvania, was arrested Friday and charged with simple assault, harassment and endangering the welfare of a child. She will also likely be charged with reckless endangerment, police said.

Gable worked at the Child Care of the Future on the 700 block of Secane Avenue in Primos, Pennsylvania. She was later fired. 

Gable was caught on surveillance video pushing a 4-year-old girl down the stairs on Friday around 5:15 p.m., investigators said.

"Apparently for no reason she takes this child and just throws her down a set of steps," Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said.

Police say workers at the day care had just installed a surveillance camera about a half-hour before the incident took place. In the video, a woman whom police identified as Gable looks up at the camera after shoving the girl and apparently realizes she is being recorded. She then takes the girl by the hand and leads her down the stairs the rest of the way.

Shawayne Tavares, a manager at Child Care of the Future, told NBC10 Philadelphia she witnessed the entire incident unfold on the surveillance camera in real time.

"I was so upset. I had tears in my eyes," Tavares said. "She picked up the shoe and tried to come to the end of the stairs like, 'Oh, it was her shoe'" that caused her to fall.

"I'm like, 'It's not her shoe. I just watched you on camera do it,'" Tavares continues. "Her eyes literally were like, 'help me.' She needs to go to jail for that. You don't put your hands on a child. Point blank."

Workers immediately confronted Gable and called police, investigators said.

The 4-year-old girl suffered a minor knee injury and returned to the day care Monday.

Gable was fired from the day care and arrested though she is currently out on bail. Gable's husband told NBC10 Monday night the family has an attorney and he stands by his wife.



Photo Credit: Upper Darby Police Dept.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Travel Order Could Hit Doctor Supply in Trump Territory: Researchers

$
0
0

President Donald Trump's new executive order suspending new visas to the United States for people from six Muslim-majority nations could reduce the number of doctors in areas that voted Trump into office, NBC News reported.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and MIT looked at data about physicians from those countries in the U.S. and found that swaths of Appalachia and the Rust Belt could be disproportionately affected.

Residency programs are a pathway for foreign-born doctors to become physicians in the U.S. Many work in rural and low-income areas, where they have played a critical role in preventing doctor shortages.

As many as several hundred doctors will be affected by the order, unable to begin medical residencies this year unless granted waivers, Atul Grover, executive vice president of The Association of American Medical Colleges, told NBC News.



Photo Credit: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

New Wave of Bomb Threats Targets Jewish Centers, ADL Offices

$
0
0

Another wave of bomb threats targeted Jewish community centers Tuesday, with facilities in New York, Florida, Wisconsin and Illinois ordering brief evacuations and the Anti-Defamation League tweeting several of its offices had gotten threats.

It's the latest in a string of threats that has prompted evacuations of dozens of facilities in more than 30 states in recent months.

The ADL said offices in New York, Atlanta, Boston and Washington, D.C., received threats Tuesday morning. Workers at the group's national headquarters in Manhattan said a voluntary evacuation was in effect, and dozens chose to leave. The headquarters on Third Avenue also received threatening calls and emails late last month. 

man was arrested last week in connection with one of the February threats to the ADL and threats to seven other Jewish centers, but prosecutors say he's a copycat who used the pattern as a cover in a scheme to get back at a former lover.

"It is time for action, and we call on the Administration and Congress to take concrete steps to catch those threatening the Jewish community," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement.

Authorities have been looking into more than 120 bomb threats called into nearly 100 JCC schools, child care and other similar facilities across the nation since January. No injuries have been reported in any of the cases and no devices have been found. The FBI is assisting in the probe.

Tuesday's wave of threats targeted a half-dozen Jewish organizations across the country, including the ADL, NYPD Police Commissioner James O'Neill said. 

The Louis S Wolk JCC of Greater Rochester in Monroe County received a threat overnight and sent an email to employees and members around 6 a.m., multiple reports said. According to NBC affiliate WHEC, about 80 people in the building at the time had to leave as investigators swooped in.

The nature of the threat wasn't immediately clear. Authorities deemed the center safe by 9:30 a.m.; it reopened shortly thereafter.

"I am aware that there are other JCC facilities across the country that have received the same or similar-type threats," Brighton Police Chief Mark Henderson said during a morning briefing, according to the Democrat & Chronicle. "We will work with the FBI to see if this was a similar type threat."

A Jewish center in Milwaukee was also evacuated after receiving a bomb threat Tuesday. That facility was also cleared; the group said it was the third threat targeting the center in the last month. There was a report of one Jewish center in Onondaga County's DeWitt being evacuated and another in Chicago. And NBC Miami reported David Posnack Hebrew Day School in Davie, Florida, was evacuated for the second time in a week after receiving a threat.

A Jewish day school at a temple in Framingham, Massachusetts, was also briefly evacuated over a phone threat.

Evan Bernstein, regional director of the ADL, condemned the new wave of threats in a brief statement Tuesday. Like Greenblatt, he called on the Trump administration to take concrete steps to stop the threats.

All 100 U.S. senators signed a letter Tuesday urging the administration to do the same.

“These cowardly acts aim to create an atmosphere of fear and disrupt the important programs and services offered by JCCs to everyone in the communities they serve, including in our states,” the senators wrote. “We are concerned that the number of incidents is accelerating and failure to address and deter these threats will place innocent people at risk and threaten the financial viability of JCCs, many of which are institutions in their communities."

A week ago, President Donald Trump suggested the spate of threats could be part of a politically motivated effort to "make people look bad."

He has more broadly condemned the rash of hate crimes that have peppered the country since the presidential election. 



Photo Credit: CNY Central

State Officials Tour Flooded Neighborhoods of San Jose

$
0
0

The California Office of Emergency Services and Small Business Administration on Tuesday continued to comb through the battered neighborhoods of San Jose while they determine how much disaster assistance money will be doled out to homeowners, businesses and local jurisdictions previously overwhelmed by historic flood waters.

Current estimates from San Jose city officials indicate that the city suffered $50 million in private property damage when polluted flood water — chalk full of sewage, gasoline, oil and chemicals — swallowed cars and rushed into the first story of several homes along the swollen Coyote Creek roughly two weeks ago.

A total of 140 homes suffered major damage while 399 homes witnessed minor damage, according to officials.

Footing the entire bill for private repair costs will likely not all come from the California Office of Emergency Services, according to San Jose Deputy Manager Kip Harkness.

"I think it will be very difficult case for us to get the amount of money that we requested," he said. "I feel like we're getting really good cooperation, collaboration with folks that are here on the ground. They are listing to our stories. They are talking to our people. They are understanding what's going on, but they also have rules and regulations that they have to follow and that puts us at a disadvantage because it doesn't quite take into account that even though is a relatively few numbers, how many people were really affected by this."

California's Office of Emergency Services is expected to announce next week or later how much money, if any, will be handed out to flood victims.

Regardless of that amount, the city of San Jose says it will continue to assist residents with block grants, community fundraising and housing vouchers.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency decided not to tour or consider funding for private units tarnished by the high water, but it did tour impaired public buildings and is considering funding for those units. San Jose is requesting $18 million to fix flawed parks, bridges and roads. Initial estimates were listed at $23 million.

Several residents claim the city failed to properly notify the public before high-rising water inundated homes and cars.

"I'm so frustrated by this," flood victim Hien Nguyen said. "I'm a 70-year-old woman and to face that flood disaster, it's terrible, horrible."

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo immediately took the blame for the historic flooding, and he recently noted that the city should have had more bodies to prevent such a catastrophe from uprooting residents from their homes.

"There's no question that if we had more staff there would be more to do, better preparation," he said Monday. "There's no question we could do better."

NBC Bay Area on Monday learned that San Jose was short-staffed when the Coyote Creek breached its banks and sent water from the saturated Anderson Reservoir flowing into neighborhoods.

The position of director of the Emergency Operations Center was vacant at the time of the flooding, forcing Assistant City Manager David Sykes and county officials to fill in. A new EOC director has been hired and is expected to start on March 13, according to Liccardo.

The city this week will also hold its first public hearing to discuss what went wrong leading up to the flooding. That meeting is scheduled for Thursday.



Photo Credit: NBC Bay Area/Bob Redell

California Announces Bill to Help Save the Vaquitas

$
0
0

With only 30 vaquita porpoises left in the world, a California assembly member has introduced a bill to help save the rare sea mammal from extinction.

The bill would make it illegal to possess or sell fish products caught in the northern Gulf of California with a gillnet.

More often than not vaquitas get entangled in nets meant for a fish known as the totoaba, which inhabits the same territory and can be sold for thousands of dollars in the Chinese market. With no where out of the nets, the vaquitas end up drowning.

The gillnets have led to a 90 percent decline in the vaquitas' numbers over the last five years, according a study by an international committee of experts. In 2016, 31 illegal fishing nets for the totoaba were pulled from the Gulf of California.

"This bill helps ensure that Californians are not contributing to the vaquita’s extinction," said Assemblymember Todd Gloria in a press release.

The Defenders of Wildlife, a non-profit working to protect and restore imperiled wildlife across North America and around the world, said California will not "stand idly while harmful fishing practices push the world’s rarest dolphin to extinction."

"California banned the use and importation of shark fins to halt the decline in sharks years ago, and if Assemblymember Gloria’s bill becomes law, California will once again lead the way on protecting our ocean’s rare marine life," said the California program director for Defenders of Wildlife.

Mexico has temporarily banned the use of gillnets for fishing of shrimp and other sea creatures in an effort to protect the vaquita. However, there is a loophole that allows for the use of gillnets for fishing of Gulf corvina, a practice used to capture the totoaba fish.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed the dark-eyed sea creature as critically endangered since 1996. More than half of the population has been lost in the last three years, according to the World Wildlife Fund.



Photo Credit: Federique Lucas/Viva Vaquita!

Restorers Say They've Found Famous 'Bullitt' Mustang

$
0
0

Missing for nearly 50 years, the iconic 1968 Mustang GT that Steve McQueen drove in the 1968 movie "Bullitt" has turned up in a scrap yard in Baja California and been restored by the owner of a Southern California body shop and his partner, according to two restorers.

The star car disappeared shortly after filming was completed and remained missing despite the late McQueen's attempts to locate and purchase it for his private collection. But the Los Angeles Times reported Monday that Paramount-based body shop owner Ralph Garcia Jr., who has made a career building replicas of the "Eleanor" Mustang featured in the Nicolas Cage movie "Gone in 60 Seconds," said he was contacted by an associate in Mexico, who said he had found a clean '68 Mustang fastback that he thought would be a good candidate for "Eleanor"-ization.

The associate, Hugo Sanchez, delivered the car to a shop Garcia owns in Mexicali, Mexico. It was scheduled for restoration when Sanchez called Garcia and told him he had run the vehicle identification numbers on the car and discovered it was no ordinary Mustang, The Times reported.

"I was going to turn it into another 'Eleanor' car, but my partner Googled the VIN," Garcia told The Times. "That's how he found out it was the `Bullitt' car. He said, 'You can’t touch it!'"

Car historian and former Petersen Automotive Museum consultant Ken Gross, who called the car "the Holy Grail of the Mustang car crowd," said the Mustang could be worth $1 million at auction.

"This is certainly on the list of top 10 list of most desirable missing cars," Gross said, right up there with the Porsche actor James Dean was driving when he died, The Times reported.

The car was the star of one of the great chase scenes of all time, a head-to-head-duel between two muscle cars that filled the streets of San Francisco with tire smoke. McQueen, who was an accomplished sports car racer, did some of his own driving as determined inspector Frank Bullitt on the tail of a bad guy in a sinister-looking 1968 Dodge Charger.



Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Local's Hair Styling Tool Scores $75K on 'Shark Tank'

$
0
0

San Diego entrepreneur Tara Brown has scored $75,000 from a celebrity investor on ABC’s hit TV show "Shark Tank."

Brown, an ophthalmologist in San Diego, is founder of The Sleep Styler, a product that straightens or curls hair without heat while users sleep. The product is a set of eight six-inch rollers made of absorbent yoga towel material that wicks moisture from the hair while remaining dry to the touch. Unlike many traditional foam rollers, the product doesn’t require uncomfortable pins or clasps and creates loose beach-style waves from wet hair.

The Sleep Styler product raised nearly $47,000 on Kickstarter last year, even though the campaign’s goal was only to raise $10,000.

Brown pitched The Sleep Styler to investors on Shark Tank, and received an offer from investor Lori Greiner for $75,000. Greiner will receive a 25 percent equity stake in exchange for the cash.



Photo Credit: The Sleep Styler
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
Viewing all 60603 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images